Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s white-ball skipper, has been ruled out of the final three matches of the five-match T20I series against Pakistan. Williamson injured his hamstring during the second T20I in Hamilton and retired hurt despite contributing to his team’s 21-run victory. He was 26 when he felt soreness in his right hamstring.
Following a scan on Monday, the 33-year-old was diagnosed with a hamstring injury, resulting in his withdrawal from the third T20I and the remainder of the series. Will Young has been named to replace him for the remaining three games, with Mitchell Santner expected to take the captaincy.
Notably, this hamstring injury occurred in the same right leg that he severely hurt during the IPL’s first game last year, necessitating surgical repair of the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He faced another setback during the ODI World Cup, when he fractured his finger against Bangladesh.
New Zealand Cricket is presently establishing a recovery plan for him, with the goal of having him available for the Test series against South Africa beginning next month. Coach Gary Stead stated that Williamson will sit out the last three T20I games to focus on his preparation for the first Test match.
“With the Test matches so close as well and in the bigger scheme of things (they are) a higher priority, I think we’ll try and make sure he’s right for that,” Stead said.
Tim Seifert is expected to take Williamson’s place in the batting lineup, with Stead indicating that Seifert was already in line to replace Devon Conway as the wicketkeeper at some point in the series.
“It’ll be another test without having Kane there, who I think always provides that stability to your batting. That’ll be an opportunity for, likely, Tim Seifert to come in and show what he can still do, and fill in those shoes that Kane’s probably left for the rest of the series,” added Stead.
With an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series, New Zealand will face Pakistan in the third T20I in Dunedin on January 17.
